AGL 37.90 Decreased By ▼ -0.04 (-0.11%)
AIRLINK 161.00 Increased By ▲ 5.78 (3.72%)
BOP 9.00 Decreased By ▼ -0.07 (-0.77%)
CNERGY 7.15 Increased By ▲ 0.43 (6.4%)
DCL 10.14 Increased By ▲ 0.61 (6.4%)
DFML 40.29 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-0.05%)
DGKC 92.73 Decreased By ▼ -0.22 (-0.24%)
FCCL 38.06 Decreased By ▼ -0.32 (-0.83%)
FFBL 78.68 Increased By ▲ 0.10 (0.13%)
FFL 13.47 Decreased By ▼ -0.13 (-0.96%)
HUBC 114.00 Increased By ▲ 3.81 (3.46%)
HUMNL 14.60 Decreased By ▼ -0.29 (-1.95%)
KEL 5.66 Decreased By ▼ -0.07 (-1.22%)
KOSM 8.29 Decreased By ▼ -0.18 (-2.13%)
MLCF 45.25 Decreased By ▼ -0.41 (-0.9%)
NBP 75.50 Decreased By ▼ -0.67 (-0.88%)
OGDC 192.00 Increased By ▲ 0.13 (0.07%)
PAEL 31.75 Increased By ▲ 1.27 (4.17%)
PIBTL 8.58 Increased By ▲ 0.42 (5.15%)
PPL 166.50 Decreased By ▼ -0.06 (-0.04%)
PRL 30.88 Increased By ▲ 1.44 (4.89%)
PTC 22.08 Increased By ▲ 2.01 (10.01%)
SEARL 98.54 Increased By ▲ 1.92 (1.99%)
TELE 8.49 Increased By ▲ 0.22 (2.66%)
TOMCL 34.75 Increased By ▲ 0.49 (1.43%)
TPLP 11.20 Increased By ▲ 0.98 (9.59%)
TREET 18.47 Increased By ▲ 0.81 (4.59%)
TRG 61.00 Decreased By ▼ -0.25 (-0.41%)
UNITY 32.00 Increased By ▲ 0.03 (0.09%)
WTL 1.53 Increased By ▲ 0.06 (4.08%)
BR100 11,262 Increased By 46.6 (0.42%)
BR30 34,012 Increased By 361.7 (1.07%)
KSE100 104,942 Increased By 382.9 (0.37%)
KSE30 32,463 Increased By 96.6 (0.3%)

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin warned on Thursday of a “real” risk of nuclear war if the West escalates the conflict in Ukraine.

In a defiant speech in Moscow, the Russian leader said his soldiers were advancing in Ukraine and warned the West of “tragic consequences” for any country that dared to send troops to Kyiv.

“They have announced the possibility of sending Western military contingents to Ukraine... The consequences for possible interventionists will be much more tragic,” Putin said in his annual address to the nation.

“They should eventually realise that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory. Everything that the West comes up with creates the real threat of a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons, and thus the destruction of civilisation,” said Putin.

His comments appeared to be a response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s refusal earlier this week to rule out sending troops to Ukraine — a refusal that drew rejection from leaders in Europe.

Western leaders have repeatedly criticised Putin for what they see as his reckless use of nuclear rhetoric since Moscow launched its full-scale military offensive against Ukraine.

After pulling Russia out of arms control treaties with the United States and previously warning he was “not bluffing” when he said he was ready to use nuclear weapons, Putin had appeared in recent months to dial down his nuclear threats.

But the fresh warning comes with the Kremlin buoyed by recent gains on the battlefield in Ukraine, an economy that has largely defied sanctions, signs of Western support for Ukraine fraying and ahead of an election certain to extend his term in the Kremlin until 2030.

That marks a sharp reversal in fortunes for Moscow over the last 12 months.

Last year at this time, Russian troops were reeling from Ukrainian counteroffensives that pushed them back in northeastern and southern Ukraine.

But after a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the summer of 2023 failed to bring similar results, today Kyiv has moved to defensive positions.

The initially strong Western support for Ukraine also appears to be shaking, with a $60-billion US aid package stalled in Congress.

Outgunning Ukrainian forces on the battlefield, Putin’s troops seized the eastern stronghold of Avdiivka and are attempting to build on their advances. And on the economic front, Russia is faring better than many expected.

Massive investment in military production, as well as high salaries and benefits for soldiers, has largely shielded the economy from the worst consequences of Western sanctions.

Putin also touched on a number of domestic issues in his speech, outlining his pitch to Russians ahead of a presidential election that will take place March 15-17 without any real opposition candidates on the ballot. There is little doubt on the outcome of the vote, but Putin has been making numerous media appearances since the start of the year, including recently flying a Russian bomber.

Comments

Comments are closed.